In the last day or so, there has been quite a bit of dialogue about the proposed parking garage on EDC-owned property in Downtown Marble Falls. While the focus has been squarely on the garage and concerns about losing our small-town feel, there is much more to the overall project than the garage alone.

With the array of amenities that are planned for the Downtown parks, a parking garage will help us consolidate parking rather than paving any more green space than we absolutely must. The footprint is just over half an acre, versus the multiple acres we would need for surface parking. Controlled access into and out of a structured garage is much safer than hundreds of parking spaces scattered all over the area. Lastly, we believe that a strategically-located garage is preferable to asking people to park all over the place and walk several blocks to their destinations in the Texas heat.

A schematic model of the hotel and conference center shows the size of the garage in relation to the entire project

Along with the garage, a fairly long list of Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) projects will be the subject of some discussion by the City Council in the coming weeks. All of these projects were examined during the budget workshops that took place July 12th and 13th, but formal action will be tied to next year’s budget that begins on October 1st. The CIP project list was broken up into several phases, with Phase 1a being the package proposed for FY 2017-2018. Included in Phase 1a are:

All components of Phase 1 of the Downtown CIP projects are projected to be complete within 5 years

Description

Opinion of Cost

Boat Ramp

$200,000

Yett Street Parking

$235,000

Johnson Park Restroom

$225,000

Main Street Restroom

$125,000

Lakeside Beach and Restroom

$476,100

Lakeside Pavilion Parking

$340,000

Lakeside Park Trails

$120,000

Wayfinding Signage

$200,000

Landscaping, Demo, Utilities, Lighting, Etc.

$855,000

Mobilization and Contingency

$277,610

Total Phase 1a CIP Projects

$3,053,710

This package of projects comes directly from the Parks Master Plan that was adopted earlier this year by the City Council. The parks plan was based on extensive feedback from the community, and many of the above projects—trails, shade, restrooms, a beach, and improved access to the lake—ranked at the top of multiple survey questions.

Of course, with such an extensive list of projects requiring a substantial sum of money, the question about how all of this gets funded is a natural one. The answer is that the City will consider issuing bonds to pay for the garage and the Phase 1a projects. The debt service for the garage would come from a combination of hotel occupancy taxes (HOT) and parking fees, while the CIP debt would be serviced using EDC funds, City general funds, HOT funds, and Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) funds. In all, the annual debt service would be just under $600,000, with the aforementioned revenue streams covering the payments.

This brings me to the next logical question: what about the impact to the tax rate? The great news is that all of these projects can be funded even with a slightly lower property tax rate next year. The staff’s recommendation to the City Council at their meeting on August 1st will be to adopt the effective tax rate of $0.6341, which would be a reduction of $0.0142 (2.2%) from the current rate of $0.6483. The math works because of additions to the tax roll, strong sales tax growth, and the fact that all but one of the revenue streams to be used to cover the debt service are not tied to City property taxes paid by the general public. HOT funds, TIRZ funds, and EDC funds are all special-use funds that have specific purposes and limitations dictated by state statutes.

In speaking for the board and staff of the EDC and other members of the City’s leadership team, we are excited about what’s happening in Marble Falls, and especially in the Downtown area. With the charm and character that come from an array of locally-owned shops and cafes, to upcoming developments including residential projects and a boutique hotel and conference center, to enhanced access to beautiful Lake Marble Falls, we know that we are in the midst of something very special. The first round of Downtown CIP projects is the culmination of many years of community feedback, planning, and vision. The structured parking facility is needed to support a Downtown that will become more active and vibrant in the years to come. And being able to do these things with a reduction to the City property tax rate is a bonus.

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https://www.marblefallseconomy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Marble-Falls-Parking-Garage.jpg7981721Christianhttps://www.marblefallseconomy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/marble-falls-EDC-logo-blue.pngChristian2018-03-06 16:36:382018-03-14 10:37:01Downtown Garage: The Rest of the Story

Christine, your question may have already been addressed in the various Facebook threads, but our plan is to help make Walkway of Lights bigger and better than it’s ever been. We will do our best to time construction so that impacts are minimized.

I am not opposed to this new growth. I do believe number one priority should be the increasing traffic. At some point it is going to literally drive people away. I hate getting out now. Takes forever just to make it across town. I am considering a move in the near future if Marble Falls does not do something about the increasing traffic and danger on the roads. People take big risks trying to turn on it off 281.

Cathy, the City continues to work with TxDOT to ensure that projects in the city continue to be prioritized. There are short-term, medium-term, and long-term projects on the Transportation Improvement Plan that will all help to alleviate congestion and increase safety.

Does the EDC foresee family entertainment for our community a Sports Complex??.
A lot of our community money stays in Austin for our children & grandchildren’s entertainment.
And I know for a fact Sports Complexes bring in a lot of revenue to cities.

Thanks for your message, Janie. I think a sports park/facility will happen sometime, but we will likely need a higher rate of population growth within Marble Falls to make it feasible. The other approach would be to enter into a public/private partnership for such a facility so that we can create as much leverage for our public dollars as possible.

I see in an above reply that you mention marble falls would need to see a “significant growth” (which we have), in order to consider new sports complexes, etc. Perhaps you would see a considerable amount of higher participation in hometown children’s sports leagues if we had any outdoor or indoor complexes at all. I’ve been in Marble Falls for over 30 years, where my children are now unable to participate in certain sports because we are forced to travel to surrounding areas to participate in other (non Marble Falls) leagues. Put some interest into the future of your town (and children) by adding things for your youth to do in this town.

I would love to see a sports park to serve area youth. Down the road, this park could be expanded or we could construct a sports complex to host tournaments–but we would need more significant growth to make this happen. From 2010-2018, our growth rate in town has been steady (11.65%), but we are nowhere close to the growth rate in places like New Braunfels (26.8%), McKinney (31.39%), or others. You simply cannot put that kind of debt service onto a population of less than 7,000 people with a modest growth rate. Currently, there is not a mechanism to capture a regional tax base–unless Burnet County got involved or we could create a regional recreational taxing district.